rock hound
Amateur geology buff
A rock hound is an amateur collector of rocks, minerals, and gemstones.
The hobby involves hunting for specimens in the field—quarries, riverbeds, mountain outcrops—rather than simply buying them: We spent the weekend rock hounding in the desert.
Rock hounds range from casual collectors to serious amateur geologists.
- streak plateSurface for mineral identification
- lapidaryWorker of precious stones
- hobbyistRecreational pursuer of interests
- enthusiastArdent admirer of something
- club meetingOrganized group assembly
gem show · rockhounding · minerals · field guides · quartz · chisel · gemstones · collector · hardrock · crystals · magnifying glass · geode · digger · natural history · discovery · mica · ornamental stone · feldspar
- Hobbyist Naturalistsamateur naturalist, citizen scientist, naturalist, birdwatcher, birder
- rockhoundsrockhound, lapidary
- hobbyistshobbyist, hobbyists, enthusiasts, crafters, collectors
- science enthusiastsastronomer, astronomers, stargazer, stargazers, citizen scientists
- naturalistsCharles Darwin, naturalist, field researcher, botanist, Carl Linnaeus
- Paleontologistspaleontologist, Jack Horner, paleobiologists, paleobotanists, paleoanthropologists
amateur vs. professional expertise
rock houndgeologist
Studies rocks and minerals
mineralogist · petrologist · gemologist · mining engineer · crystallographer
rock, hound, rocks, rocked, rocking, rocker, rockers, rocky, rockier